We attended Jen’s graduation last nite.

Pomp and circumstance…a very proper ceremony.

Yeah….right.

    There were all the usual admonitions from the podium….hold your applause, no yelling, no whistling…please remember that this is a solemn occasion steeped in tradition…a real big deal.

    However, this is the south…and it’s just not a proper redneck graduation until things go awry.

    It started with a few people who got into an argument in the audience. The argument quickly escalated into violence and the police were called in to quell the noise and remove the participants. In spite of the fuss, the ceremony never missed a beat….the band played on and the graduates continued their procession to their chairs.

   In total disregard for the request for silence, there were the usual ‘call-outs’ as names were announced and diplomas handed out. Because this is Arkansas, there was also a multitude of neon-tinted posterboard signs held up at opportune intervals as names were called.

   Then there was an airhorn. Yes, that’s right…an airhorn. Nothing says congratulations to your favorite graduate better than the piercing bleat of canned air during a traditional ceremony.

   As if that weren’t enough, the entire ceremony was played out on the video screen hanging from the ceiling. This nifty invention made it easy to see when names were mispronounced or, in some cases, totally wrong. One young graduate simply stood there shaking his head as name after name was read until they got to HIS name.

    All in all, nearly 300 diplomas were handed out last nite to very deserving graduates. All of the scholarships were acknowledged, and speeches were delivered. Hands were shaken, pictures taken, and kids who had previously been students were ceremoniously dumped into the real world.

   One thing is certain. No matter where these young people end up, they will not soon forget last nite.

   Blue caps and gowns….and red necks….yee-haw!!

 arkmomy